Summary:
Anderson 03 is a small, high-performing school district in rural South Carolina, serving approximately 2,772 students across five schools: three elementary schools (Starr Elementary, Flat Rock Elementary, and Iva Elementary), one middle school (Starr-Iva Middle), and one high school (Crescent High). The district ranks 5th out of 75 districts statewide, earning a 5-star rating.
Crescent High is the district's academic powerhouse, with a 96.57% English 2 proficiency rate (vs. 83.79% statewide), a 91.7% graduation rate, and a dropout rate of just 0.2%—10 times better than the state average. Among elementary schools, Starr Elementary leads the way, posting a remarkable 82.9% 4th grade math proficiency (vs. 52.3% statewide) and 83% 4th grade ELA proficiency. Starr-Iva Middle achieves a perfect 100% proficiency in Algebra 1, though its grade-level math scores (48-57%) are more modest. Flat Rock Elementary and Iva Elementary perform below their peers, with Iva spending the most per student ($14,778) yet ranking lowest among the elementary schools.
Key concerns include a notable achievement dip between elementary and middle school—Starr Elementary's 67-83% proficiency rates drop to 48-69% at Starr-Iva Middle. Chronic absenteeism also rises sharply in upper grades, with Starr-Iva Middle (30.2%) and Crescent High (28.7%) exceeding the state average (22.3%), while elementary schools stay below it. Additionally, 8th grade ELA proficiency (58.9%) exactly matches the state average, a mediocrity that stands out in an otherwise excellent district. Despite these challenges, the district's overall 5-star rating reflects genuine strengths, particularly at Starr Elementary and Crescent High, though replicating that success across all schools and grade levels remains the key opportunity for improvement.
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